The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for a hearing loss disability or tinnitus, respectively. The Board notes that the Veteran's DD Form 214 should be obtained to determine his military occupational specialty.
The deciding factor: The VA audiologist found no evidence of a current bilateral hearing loss disability and opined that the etiology of the Veteran's tinnitus could not be determined without resorting to speculation, as there was no mention of tinnitus or hearing problems in the medical record. The Veteran's MOS of communication equipment operator is not an occupation specialty associated with acoustic trauma.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2012
- Citation
- 1202581
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1202581.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection of bilateral hearing loss and a ruptured right ear drum was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was noted upon entry into active duty service and did not increase in severity during service. Therefore, it denied his claim for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
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